On the afternoon of March 13, 2026, a delegation from Kitakyushu City (Japan), led by Mr. Nobuhide Nagahama, Director of the Kitakyushu International Exchange Association, paid a visit and held a working session at the Hai Phong Department of Foreign Affairs. The delegation was received by Ms. Tran Thi Quynh Trang, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, along with representatives of the Department’s specialized division.
At the meeting, Mr. Nobuhide Nagahama extended his congratulations to Ms. Tran Thi Quynh Trang on her appointment as Director of the Hai Phong Department of Foreign Affairs. He expressed his confidence that, in her new role, Ms. Tran Thi Quynh Trang will continue to further promote the city’s international cooperation and exchange activities, including the relationship between Hai Phong and Kitakyushu City.
Mr. Nobuhide Nagahama and Ms. Tran Thi Quynh Trang exchanged views during the meeting.
Mr. Nobuhide Nagahama stated that over more than 10 years since the two cities officially established their sister-city relationship in 2014, cooperation between Hai Phong and Kitakyushu has been continuously strengthened and developed in a substantive and effective manner. The representative of the Kitakyushu delegation also shared an overview of the cooperation process between the two localities and highlighted a number of notable achievements in areas such as environmental protection, water supply and drainage, cultural exchange, education and training, and people-to-people exchange.
In particular, Hai Phong has always been regarded by Kitakyushu as one of its important and close partners in the city’s international cooperation activities in Southeast Asia.
Participants at the meeting
Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Tran Thi Quynh Trang, Director of the Hai Phong Department of Foreign Affairs, expressed her sincere appreciation for the attention and goodwill that Kitakyushu City has extended to Hai Phong over the years. She also shared with and updated the delegation on recent developments of the city following the merger of Hai Phong City and Hai Duong Province, which has opened up a new development space with a larger scale in terms of economy, population, and infrastructure.
With these changes, Hai Phong is aiming to become a center for industrial development, logistics, seaport services, and international services in the Northern region, while continuing to expand and strengthen international cooperation. In this context, external relations have become one of the key areas receiving special attention from both Vietnam in general and Hai Phong in particular, in order to mobilize international resources for local socio-economic development.
Ms. Tran Thi Quynh Trang expressed her hope that in the coming time, Hai Phong and Kitakyushu will continue to enhance delegation exchanges and expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, particularly in environment, education and training, cultural exchange, and people-to-people exchange.
The Kitakyushu delegation also attended the Vietnam–Japan Cultural Exchange Festival Hai Phong – Nam Cau Kien 2026 on March 14, 2026. Speaking at the event, the representative of Kitakyushu City noted that over more than a decade, Hai Phong and Kitakyushu have continuously nurtured and strengthened their friendly and cooperative relationship. Alongside cooperation activities in various fields, the Vietnam–Japan Cultural Exchange Festival has become a meaningful cultural platform, contributing to strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two cities.
Mr. Nobuhide Nagahama, Director of the Kitakyushu International Exchange Association, delivering remarks at the ceremony.
Some photos of the delegation at the Vietnam–Japan Cultural Exchange Festival Hai Phong – Nam Cau Kien 2026.
The representative of Kitakyushu City also expressed pride that cherry blossom trees brought from Kitakyushu have flourished in Hai Phong, becoming a vivid symbol of friendship between Vietnam and Japan. He further expressed his hope that the festival will continue to serve as an important occasion to further strengthen the friendly relations between Hai Phong and Kitakyushu in particular, as well as between Vietnam and Japan in general.
Representative of the Global Affairs Bureau of Kitakyushu City took a commemorative photo with the Organizing Committee and contestants participating in the contest.
As part of the working visit to Hai Phong, on March 15, 2026, Ms. Yui Murai, an official of the Global Affairs Bureau of Kitakyushu City, attended the 10th Japanese Speech Contest – Hai Phong 2026. At the event, she highly appreciated the contestants’ Japanese language proficiency, confidence, and presentation skills. She noted that the contest is not only a meaningful academic platform for students in the city, but also contributes to promoting the study of Japanese and enhancing cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Vietnam and Japan.
She expressed her hope that in the coming time there will be more educational, linguistic, and cultural exchange activities between Hai Phong and localities in Japan, thereby further strengthening the friendship between the two countries.